Oct. 20, 2009 - Neenah Paper announced that it has partnered with Friends of the Osa and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin to help reforest a conservation property in Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula, one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world.

The reforestation project is designed to remove carbon from the atmosphere, protect and restore viable plant and animal habitats, create a new habitat for endangered wildlife and restore land degraded by deforestation.

"Partnering with Friends of the Osa and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin is exciting because together we will have a direct impact not only on the Costa Rican rainforest, but on some of the world's threatened and endangered species," said Rodger Ferguson, director of environmental services at Neenah Paper.

According to Neenah, the conservation property, an extensive 1,500 acres in the southeastern portion of the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve, is located in Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. It harbors the last remaining old growth rainforest on the western flank of Central America and is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world. Sandwiched between encroaching development and deforested land, the Osa Peninsula is widely acknowledged as a global conservation priority by conservation organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and Conservation International.

"The Osa Project was particularly appealing because it is the migratory home of 54 native Wisconsin species of birds, 18 of which are state conservation priorities and three of which are listed as threatened. Wisconsin is home to our fine papers mills and is a large part of Neenah Paper's heritage," said Ferguson. "It just makes sense to be one of the founding partners in this project."